Actuator Fault-Tolerant Containment Control for Fractional Multi-UAVs with Input Saturation and Communication Delays

Abstract

In this paper, the issue of distributed containment control for multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is discussed using a fractional-order model with convenient limitations. A new event-based finite-time slidingmode control algorithm is proposed to enable the follower UAVs to converge to the convex hull spanned by a set of dynamic leaders. The suggested approach is immune to actuator failure, input constraint, timevarying communication delays, as well as exogenous stochastic disturbances. Memory effects present in UAV dynamics are reflected in the control law since fractional calculus is involved in calculations. The eventtriggering mechanism is configured to reduce the communication burden and ensure stability and performance. The convergence is verified carefully in finite time via Lyapunov techniques and the fractional stability of systems. It is ascertained that the proposed control scheme is highly effective and robust, as demonstrated by numerical simulations. The numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed fractional-order fault-tolerant containment controllers achieve rapid convergence, with the average follower tracking error reducing below 0.02 within 5 s, and the multi-UAV formation remaining stable under stochastic disturbances and input saturation. These results highlight the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed strategies in maintaining desired containment performance across all agents.OPEN ACCESS Received: 09/11/2025 Accepted: 04/01/2026

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